Frequently Asked Questions
Hardwoods

• Traditional Solid Hardwood Floors showcase solid wood boards, milled from single pieces of wood. This type of flooring:

  • Is generally 1/2” to 3/4” thick and can be refinished many times, and so has the potential to last for decades.

  • Is designed for installation over a wood subfloor, with each board positioned and individually nailed or stapled to the subfloor or installed over screeds and mastic (not suitable for installation on a concrete substrate – Exception: glue-down shorts)

  • Comes both in unfinished (sanded and finished on jobsite) and prefinished options

    • Unfinished = Lower Material Costs + Higher Installation Costs

    • Prefinished = Higher Material Costs + Lower Installation Costs

• Engineered Hardwood Flooring is made of multiple layers of plywood wood, resin, and polymers (each layer is positioned in a different direction), and then topped with a layer of real hardwood. This type of flooring:

  • Can be installed by many different methods (e.g.: floating floor, glue down, nail down) in most grade levels of the home, including below ground with a protective moisture barrier installed.

  • Multi-layer / multi-directional construction offsets warping and bowing

  • Typically comes prefinished (once installed, you’re set!), but is available in unfinished options for jobsite finish

    • Prefinished = higher material costs + lower installation costs

  • Is generally 3/8” to 5/8” thick (and can be refinished 1 to 2 times, depending on thickness of the hardwood wear layer).

    • Most wear layers on today’s Engineered Hardwood Floors vary between 0.5 to 6mm.

      • 0.5 to 1mm wear layer: cannot be sanded and refinished; only recoated with a layer of polyurethane.

      • 2mm wear layer: can be sanded and refinished 1 to 2X.

      • 3mm wear layer: can be sanded and refinished 2 to 3X.

      • 4 to 6 mm wear layer: can be sanded and refinished 3 to 6X

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS ABOUT REFINISHING A PREFINISHED FLOOR:

• Because of the thick and pervasive nature of the prefinished topcoat, refinishing requires extensive sanding to reach the natural hardwood.

• Sanding and refinishing will void any manufacturer warranty associated with your prefinished flooring materials.

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Jobsite Finished means you have raw hardwood (e.g.: 4” wide White Oak or Red Oak plank that is 3/4” thick) that needs to be nailed into the floor and then sanded & finished (e.g.: stain + urethane or wax). on-site.
Some of the qualities you will find in your Floors Etc. jobsite finished floors:

• True artistry.

  • Our Team of craftsmen is highly skilled and experienced – most have been with us for 15+ years. They take as much pride in your floors as we do!

  • We use only the highest quality materials from the most reputable vendors – this includes our wood, our stains, our finishes, and everything else it takes to install your floor.

  • Every piece of wood is beautiful and unique – trees are one-of-a-kind!

  • Highly customizable – unlimited finish options

    • Specialty finishes available (e.g.: popping grain; custom stain colors; hand-scraping; wire-scraping; etc.)

• Your custom bid will be comprised of lower material costs + higher installation costs (installation, sanding, finishing) – this bid will be given to you within 48 hours of our On-Site Consultation. We pride ourselves on sticking with our proposal pricing – rare changes are made in partnership with you (or at your request) and in conjunction with a formal Change Order.

Some other things to consider about Jobsite Finished floors:

• Once completed, you will always be able to match your floor – for repairs or to add additional rooms, etc.

• The finish will result in a relatively uniform stain color.

• There will be a period when you will not be able to be in these areas of your home.

  • If you are sensitive to fumes, you may want to be out of the home during the finish process.

• These floors may need to be refinished every 7 to 15 years, depending on your choice of finish and diligence of maintenance.

  • You also have the option to “Screen and Coat” to freshen up your finish – this is a less expensive (and less time-consuming) option that will renew the finish of your floor, without the full sand and finish process.

Prefinished Hardwood means the material has been finished in the factory and then you just install it – this is available in both Solid Hardwood and Engineered Hardwood. Some of the qualities you will find in your Floors Etc. prefinished floors:

Making sure your wood floor is covered with a protective finish, like wax or polyurethane, is the very best way you can protect your flooring investment.

Keeping this protective finish in good repair is also a critical step to good hardwood floor maintenance – Floors Etc. offers different services (Clean and Wax | Clean and Spray Buff | Screen and Coat | Sand and Finish) for whatever finish you have on your floor – and for whatever state of repair they might be in.

DRY TIME v. CURE TIME

• Dry Time is when you a finish has dried and cured enough so that you can walk on it so that it will not sustain any damage from carefully walking on it – this is generally considerably less than cure time, and we promise we’ll tell you when it is safe to walk on your new flooring surface once we’ve completed our work.

• Cure Time is the time it takes for all the solvents, etc. to evaporate from the finish, for the fumes and smell to stop being released and for it to fully harden, which depends on the type of finish as well as temperature, airflow and humidity levels.

Below are Floors Etc.’s recommended guidelines according to finish type:

The length of time that lapses in between your professional hardwood floor cleanings depends on the type of floor you have and the amount of traffic that traipses across it.

• For hardwood floors with a wax finish, we offer Wax and Buff services.

• For hardwood floors with a polyurethane finish and prefinished hardwood floors we offer Clean and Spray Buff services.

The best way to tell if your floor is in need of a professional cleaning is by comparing a corner of the floor that sees no traffic to the rest.

If there is a marked difference in the sheen, then it’s time to call us! 

We also suggest that you take a look at the cracks and grooves for dirt accumulation.

• • Not only is that dirt ruining the look of your floor, it is destroying the integrity of the wood.

  • Only a professional hardwood cleaning team of experts can remove that built up dirt and make your floors sparkle again.

We recommend you follow Floors Etc.’s Hardwood Floor Maintenance Guidelines to keep the beautiful look of your hardwood floors in between cleanings. Some of our key recommendations include:

• Regular sweeping or vacuuming daily – this will remove the loose sand and particles that destroy your floors sheen.

• Use door mats and area rugs in high traffic areas to avoid dirt making it to inside the surface of the wood.

• Spot clean spills as they occur, and only use a damp mop when absolutely necessary.

Because pet urine can quickly damage wooden floors, cleaning them immediately and properly can help a lot in preventing permanent stains.

Poochee went potty on the hardwood floor! You need to act fast!

1. Start by blotting up as much urine as you can with paper towels. To avoid spreading the urine, wipe from the outside to the center. Once you have blotted up all the wet urine, try blotting the same spot using a damp paper towel.

2. Clean the wooden floor with a neutral pH dog-safe floor cleaner, like Bona.

But what about those times you missed the infraction in action???

If the stain isn’t too deep, you have some viable solutions. Unfortunately, if the stain is dark black, it will not come out, even when you sand and refinish the floors – but Options #4 and #5 on the list below will help, even in these situations.

Option 1: Surface Treat

Wood + Water = A Bad Combination

Left sitting water can cause warping, cupping, popping, discoloration, and mold growth – permanently damaging your once beautiful hardwood floors.

Wood can get wet (or moist) in a multitude of ways

• External Sources

  • Heavy Rain – We live in Houston, and heavy rain happens! We all know it floods around here – and sometimes the water rises…and rises…and rises. And when that happens, floors get really wet. We can help!

  • Leaky Windows, Doors, and Roof – Sometimes regular rain or landscape watering can sneak in if you have an undetected leak at an exterior passage or from above. Staining or peeling paint by windows, doors or on the ceiling could indicate water is seeping into your home and onto your floors.

  • Fire (with water used to extinguish the fire)

  • High Water Table Foundation / Subfloor

Ventilation, humidity, and temperature control is a must even when the home is not occupied.

• Flooring will perform best when the interior environment is controlled to stay within:

  • Temperature range

    • 60°-80° Fahrenheit

  • Relative Humidity range

    • 40%-60% (Solid Hardwood)

    • 35%-65% (Engineered Hardwood)

If wood floors are water damaged, the wood can swell. As the wood swells, the boards press on one another and they can push upward slightly at the seams, creating a cupped depression along the center of the board.

YES!

Bacteria, dust and dirt do not embed themselves in wood flooring, as they do in other flooring options. Simple regular maintenance—such as dust mopping, sweeping, or vacuuming—keeps wood floors dust-free.

Every hundred years or so. In fact, the heart pine floors in historic Bacon’s Castle in Virginia are more than three centuries old and counting. Simple care and maintenance keep wood floors looking beautiful for a lifetime.

Instead of laying an entirely new floor when the original is worn, wood floors can be rejuvenated with sanding and refinishing. When done by a wood flooring professional, wood floors need only to be refinished every 10 – 15 years or 10 – 12 times during a floor’s life.

When a wood floor’s useful life is over, it’s completely biodegradable.

Surface finishes like polyurethane require only simple care. Just dust mop, sweep, or vacuum regularly, following our simple Maintenance and Care Guidelines.

Always follow the manufacturer’s cleaning recommendations, if known.

When cleaning no longer restores shine, call Floors Etc. to have your floor recoated with a fresh surface finish (Clean and Wax | Screen and Coat).

The frequency of recoating will depend on the amount of regular traffic your on floors.

NEVER wax a surface-finished floor, and never use vinyl or tile floor care products on any wood floor.

NOTE: If you have a Prefinished floor, refresh with our simple Clean and Spray Buff service for a deep clean and shine.

NO!!

PLEASE do not wax your polyurethane-coated floors – the finish is meant to maintain a permanent shine, and wax will dull / damage this finish.

• If your polyurethane-coated floors need to be refreshed, let us help with our Clean and Spray Buff services.

• If your flooring surface is damaged, it must be repaired with polyurethane of the same type – please see our Screen and Coat services. 

NO!

Please, never damp mop wood floor.

Just dust mop, sweep, or vacuum regularly, following our simple Maintenance and Care Guidelines.

YES.

Millions of people suffer from sensitivity to chemicals and toxins. Tests by leading allergists have proven that wood flooring provides a healthier environment for these allergy sufferers. Wood doesn’t harbor irritating dust and microorganisms.

DISCLAIMER: Floors Etc. is only sharing information and is in no way making medical recommendations or dispensing medical advice. Your flooring choice is a personal decision that must be made by you.

• If you floor was Jobsite Finished – ABSOLUTELY!

• If your floor was Prefinished – PROBABLY.

  • This all depends on the thickness of the wear layer and if you’ve had it refinished before (and if so, how many times).

    • Give us a call, and we’ll be happy to help.
      Please keep in mind, refinishing a prefinished floor will void the manufacturer warranty.

• If the scratch is white, the finish has not been compromised and is repairable.

  Simply using a flooring cleaner, like Bona, should eliminate these blemishes.

• If the scratch is deeper but the raw wood is not exposed, light buffing with a microfiber cloth can shine up the dull area. Often the damage becomes less obvious.

• If the damage is more severe, board replacement is typically the best option. If you need us to replace a board, just give us a call.

YES!
According to the National Association of Realtors and the National Wood Flooring Association, homes with wood floors sell faster and for more money than for homes without them – in fact, real estate agents estimate wood floors increase selling prices in identical homes by as much as 10%!

Realtors also named new wood flooring and wood floor refinishing as home remodeling projects with the some of the highest yielding financial return upon re-sale (90-100%).

There is no right or wrong species – this is a matter of personal taste. Part of choosing a species of wood involves selecting a color to match your décor. Other appearance-related attributes are important too, such as texture, grain, and cut. Finally, you will need to consider availability and price.

YES!

Designers, builders, and homeowners are discovering what basketball players have always known: wood flooring can take a pounding and still look beautiful. The finishes on most new Prefinished Solid Hardwood and Prefinished Engineered Hardwood floors stand up to heavy traffic, bringing wood flooring into bathrooms, kitchens, and other high-traffic areas. These finishes resist wear and stain better than other finishes and require no stripping, no buffing and no waxing.

YES – this is known as Reclaimed Hardwood or Antique Hardwood, which a popular design trend of wood salvaged from a variety of sources, including old barns and factories. Wood recovered from riverbeds is another growing segment of the wood flooring industry. Logs that sank during logging operations years ago are being recovered by a number of companies and used to create truly unique flooring. Today’s only significant source for heartwood from long-leaf pine is through reclaimed timbers from warehouses and factories constructed during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Cypress, walnut, chestnut, and poplar, are among other options.

YES!

Churches, synagogues, and other clients with auditorium projects increasingly request wood floors for its warmth and acoustic attributes. Ask us about special installation techniques that can increase acoustic abilities.